Washing machine door hinge and latch



Sept. 8, 1936. v w, 5, MANLEY 2,053,913

WASHING MACHINE DOOR HINGE AND LATCH Filed March 22, 1934 All llllH fz aZz/ ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AND LATCH William 0. Manley, Kansas City, Mo.

Application March 22,

7 Claims.

My invention relates to washing machines, and

more particularly to a combined hinge and latch for doors on washing machine. cylinders.

One of the purposes of my invention is to provide a combined hinge and latch for the doors of cylinders of washing machines, which is so constructed and arranged that the spring for projecting the latching member, sometimes referred to as the bolt,'can be removed without dismantling the hinge or removing the hinge from the washing machine door, and furthermore wherein the spring can be removed and replaced without removing the latch as an entirety from the door or from the hinge.

It is a particular purpose of my invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character, which is so constructed that a single securing or retaining member having no effect on the securement of the hinge proper, to the door of the washing machine, must be removed in order to have access to the spring for replacement purposes.

It is another object of my invention to provide a combined latch and hinge, which comprises a latch mechanism that can be removed as a unit from the hinge without removal of the hinge from the door.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide a hinge that is so constructed and cooperates in such a manner with the adjacent portion of the cylinder, that the curved 'wall of the cylinder will not be flattened or changed in shape due to the engagement of a' portion of the metallic hinge therewith in slamming the door shut, and which hinge is furthermore so constructed that it will hold the door in proper curved shape to conform to the contour of the curved cylinder wall adjacent the door opening.

A particular feature of my invention is the mounting of the latching member in such a manner that the same is slidably mounted relative to the hinge for guided movement into and out of locking position, and limited in such movement in both directions by means which holds the latching member and the spring projecting the same in assembled relation, and which, upon removal thereof, permits the latching member to be entirely withdrawn from the apparatus and the spring removed from its position in the latching mechanism whenever this is desired, the removal of a single bolt being necessary to accomplish this.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description of the drawing proceeds. I desire to have it understood, how- 1934, Serial No. 716,823

ever, that I do not intend to limit myself the particular details shown or described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the t} portion of a, washing machine cylinder having the door opening therein, and showing a portion of the door in elevation, with my improved combined hinge and latch applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of 9. 10 portion of the door and adjacent portions of the cylinder, showing my combined hinge and latch means with the latching member removed, showing the parts removed that are necessary of removal for replacement of the spring.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the entire latching mechanism removed and separate from the door.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially. on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. .20

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4'.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view ofthe latch casing, and 5 Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

Referring in detail to the drawing, my improved combined hinge and latch is shown as being applied to a washing machine cylinder that is made ,30 of wooden slats 6, which are provided with openings 5 therein to permit the passage of water or other washing fluid in and out of the cylinder. The door"! of the cylinder is also made up of the wooden slats 6 in the form of the invention shown, 1, although it will be obvious that my invention can be applied to cylinders made of other material, as well as wooden cylinders, or cylinders with wooden doors.

My improved hinge comprises a hinge portion 8, which is secured in any well known manner to the cylinder, and a portion 9, which is secured to the door, said portions 8 and 9 being pivotally connected by means of the hinge pin [0, which is shown as being removable, being provided with cotter pins II for this purpose. The hinge portion 9 is made .up of an outer hinge member l2, which is pivotally connected with the member 8 in the manner previously mentioned, and an inner hinge member [3, which is a backing member engaging the inner face of the cylinder. Said members l3 and I2 are curved to conform to the shape of the door 1 at the inner and outer faces of said door, and are detachably connected together by means of a plurality of bolts I4 and 55 .the door carelessly in closing the same.

nuts I5, said members I2 and I3 clamping the slats 6 of the door I between them to hold the same in fixed position and in the proper curved formation. The backing member I3 is shorter than the member I2, and also slightly narrower than said member I2.

The hinge member I2 is provided with stiffening or strengthening ribs I 6 and I! extending outwardly therefrom on the outer curved face of the member I2 and the stiffening rib I1 is located adjacent a curved lateral flange I8 on the member I 2, said curved lateral flange I8 forming a curved lip projecting laterally beyond the door and overlapping a metal facing I9 on the portion of the cylinder body adjacent the opening closed by the door I. Said metallic facing I9 is shown as a metallic band or hoop extending around the cylinder and may be utilized to hold the cylinder together, as well as to serve as a stop member for engagement of the lip or flange I8 therewith. The lip or flange I8, by its engagement with the metallic facing I9, prevents any damage to the door or the washing machine cylinder adjacent the door opening, due to slamming the door shut. Without the provision of these inter-engaging metallic stop members, which also serve as reinforcing members for the door and cylinder, the tendency would be for the door and cylinder wall adjacent the opening for the door to be forced out of their normal curvature by the slamming of This is avoided by the structure referred to.

The hinge members I2 and I3 together forming the hinge portion 9 of each hinge for the door, are each provided with a lateral extension serving as a housing portion for a latching mechanism confined between said hinge members in a recess 2I formed by cutting away portions of the door to accommodate the latching mechanism. The housing portion 20 of the backing member I3 has only openings therein for a pair of bolts 22, while the laterally extending housing portion 20 on the member I2 also has bolt holes 23 therein aligning substantially with the holes in the lateral extension on the backing member I3. 'The bolt holes in the backing member I3 .are, however, all elongated, and are made in the form of slots extending lengthwise of the hinge,

'as shown at 24 in Fig. 3, whereas the bolt holes 23 are round, this being done for adjustment purposes. The bolts 22 are provided with rounded heads 25 and have squared portions or polygonal portions 26 adjacent said heads to prevent turning thereof when the same are in the slots in the backing member I3, such bolts being commonly known as stove bolts.

. A bolt 22 also'extends through a circular opening 21 in the member I2 and through the elongated opening 24 in the member I3. The lateral extension 20 of the hinge member I2 is furthermore provided with a large, substantially rectangular opening 28, which 'is partly located in said extension 20 and partly in the main body portion of the hinge member I2, this opening being provided for manipulation of the latching member associated with the hinge. The housing portions, or lateral extensions 20, are provided with. suitable reinforcing ribs 29 of any desired configuration, and each of said extensions 20 has a reduced end portion 30. Mounted within the recess 2I and movable ment through the opening into said recess extending through the side edge of the door, is a latchingmechanism casing 3I. Said casing is provided with a pair of side flanges 32 extending in one direction from the bottom 33 of said casing, said side flanges 32 being inclined relative to each other to a slight extent so that the passage between said side flanges is somewhat narrower adjacent the bottom wall of the casing than adjacent the top or free edges of said flanges. The bottom 33 is provided with a plurality of openings 34 therein, extending through bosses 35 formed on the under side of said bottom 33, said openings being adapted to align with the openings 23 and 21 in the member I2. The casing 3I has curved wall portions 36 aligning with portions of said bosses and joining the flanges 32 with the side wall portions 37 of the reduced extension 38 of said housing, said reduced extension having an end wall 39 and forming a substantially semicylindrical socket in said casing, said extension 38 lying between the extensions of the housing portions 20. The casing 3I is further provided with a relatively large rectangular opening 46 therein, in the bottom thereof and with a pair of lugs 4| serving as feet, which are adapted to engage the backing plate I3. The top edges of the flanges 32 engage the inner face of the member I2 and the bosses also engage the face of the member I3 adjacent the same.

The casing 3| is thus adapted to be slid into position between the members I2 and I3 in the recess 2|, through the side opening leading into the same at the lateral edge of the door. Also any parts carried thereby can be removed with said casing if this is desired. Mounted within the casing between the flanges 32 is a sliding bolt 7 or latching member 42, which is substantially rectangular in cross section, but not exactly so, the side walls 43 thereof flaring slightly in a direction toward the transverse wall 44, which transverse wall is remote from the bottom 33 of the casing 3I. The main body portion of the latch is hollowed out in order to reduce the weight thereof, only the forward end 45 being solid, and the central portion 66 thereof being cut away to reduce the weight of said forward end portion. The forward end portion 45 is substantially wedge shaped, as is common with latching members of this character, and engages in the space 41 provided under the reinforcing member IS in the wall of the cylinder adjacent the side edge of the door opening to hold the door in closed position. Said latching member 52 can thus be placed in the casing in only one position, it being impossible to assemble the same in the casing upside down so that it will not wedge into its receded position when the door is closed to spring the latch member back to permit such closing of the door. Said latching member is provided with a large transversely elongated opening 48 in the bottom 44, and with a smaller longitudinally extending slot 49. Extending rearwardly from the inner wall 5B of said latching member is a pin or rod-like member 5!, which, in the embodiment shown, is made integral with the body portion of the latching member. A transverse web 52 is also provided on said latching member extending between the walls 43 between the slot 48 and the slot 49, thus strengthening the latching member between said slots.

Cooperating with said latching member to project the same into latching position, is a compression coil spring 53, said spring being received in the socket formed in the reduced extension 38 of the casing 3I, with one end thereof engaging said coil spring 53 and the other end engaging the rear wall 50 of the slidable latching member 42. Said coiled spring 53 is received around the pin 5|, thus being held in its proper position for projecting the latching member into locking position when seated in the socket provided in the extension 38 and in embracing relation to the pin 5|.

The slot 48 is provided for receiving the finger of the operator for sliding back the latch against the compression of the spring 53 when it is desired to open the door. The slot 49 acts as a guide slot in cooperation with the bolt 22 extending through the openings 21 and 24, the end walls thereof acting as a stop member for limiting the movement of the latch in both directions. Also due to the fact that the spring 53 is only confined between the inner end Wall of the latching member 42 and the end wall 39 of the latch casing, the bolt 22 acts as a retaining member for the latching member 42 and the spring 53.

In order to facilitate operation of the latching member in its sliding movement, a sleeve 54 is provided around the bolt 22 and is mounted in.

the slot 49, being free enough of the walls of the slot 49 and of the bottom 33 of the casing, as well as the inner face of the member l2, that the sleeve 54 will act as a. roller to reduce friction between the latching member and the bolt 22. It will be obvious that when the sleeve 54 is in the position shown in Fig. 5, and the latching member 42 and the spring 53 are in the relative positions shown, with the bolt 22 in position and the nut 55 screwed in position on the bolt to hold the bolt in position on the hinge, this bolt 22 pass ing through the openings 21 and 24, will hold the latching member 42 from disengagement from the door and the spring from accidental disengagement from the latch. However, if the bolt 22 is removed and no other fastening elements are disturbed, the latching member 42 and the spring 53 can be readily removed, the latching member through the opening H at the edge of the door and the spring also through said opening, or optionally, the spring can be removed through the enlarged opening 28, should this be desired.

By removing all three of the bolts 22, that is, the ones that extend through the openings 23, as well as the one that extends through the opening 21, the entire latch mechanism, including the casing, the sleeve, the latching member and the spring, can be removed through the side of the opening 2| at the side edge of the door, as a unit. Both the removal of the entire latching mechanism and of the latching member and spring, and, of course, the sleeve 54 along with these parts, can be accomplished without in any manner disturbing the hinge. This is of great advantage, as, previously it has been necessary to remove the entire hinge member from the door, and if this hinge member was instrumental in holding the door together, the entire door was dismantled in the operation of renewing one of the springs used in the locking means for the door. This, of course, made it impossible to use the washing machine until the operation was completed, causing a shut down of several hours in the operation of the machine and resultant loss to the operator of the machine. With my improved combined hinge and latching mechanism, the spring can be replaced, even by an inexperienced person, in a minute or two without any dismantling of the machine itself. It is very seldom that anything else than breakage of the spring occurs, but if any other breakage occurs and it is necessary to replacethe entire locking mechanism, or latching mechanism,this

can also be done in a very short period of time, in the manner outlined above. The opening 40 in the casing 3! serves as means to facilitate the removal of the casing 3| from the recess 2| by engagement of the fingers or a tool with the edge of said opening.

What I claim is:

1. A latch structure comprising a housing, a latch casing removably associated with said hous ing and means for securing said casing against movement in said housing, said casing having a spring retaining portion and a guideway, a latching member slidable in said. guideway, a spring for projecting said latching member mounted in said retaining portion and engaging said latching member, and means for securing said latching member in said guideway for detachment from said casing to permit replacement of said spring latching member and detachably holding said.

spring in position in said latching mechanism,

comprising a single retaining element'engaging said cooperating members and extending through a slot in said latching member, said retaining element having a rotatable sleeve thereon mounted in said slot, and engaging the ends thereof to limit the movement of said slidable latching member in both directions.

3. A latch structure comprising a pair of cooperating housing members and latching mechanism mounted between said members, said latching mechanism comprising a slidable latching member, a spring for projecting the same, a casing, and means for limiting the sliding movement of said latching member and detachably holding said spring in position in said latching mechanism, said latching member having means thereon receiving said spring and said casing having means thereon receiving said spring whereby said spring is detachably held between said latching member and said casing, said casing having an open side and the housing member on the open side of said casing having an opening therein through which said spring may be passed upon release of said holding means without removing said slidable latching member from said casing.

4. In a washing machine, a cylinder, a door on said cylinder having a recess therein, a pair of members engaging opposed faces of said door, means for securing said paired members in clamping relation to said door, said members extending across said recess and having lateral extensions thereon overlying said recess on the opposed faces of said door and a latch mechanism mounted in said recess and housed between said members and the lateral extensions thereof, said latch mechanism comprising a latch casing, a latch and means for projecting said latch from said casing, said latch mechanism having means for securing the same between said members and being removable by sliding the same laterally as a unit from between said members upon disengagement of said securing means without release of said members from clamping engagement with said door, said securing means comprising bolts extending through said lateral extensions on said members and engaging said casing and a bolt detachably connecting said latch with said casing and said casing with said members.

5. In a latch structure a pair of housing members, one of said members having an opening therein, a latch guide casing detachably mounted between said housing members, said guide casing being open on one side and one end thereof and having a spring receiving socket formed in the end thereof remote from said open end, said housing member having said opening therein overlying the open side of said casing, a latching member slidably mounted in said casing, said latching member having spring receiving means thereon, a compression coil spring mounted between said socket and spring receiving means, said latch having a slot therein and a securing element extending through openings in said housing members and said slot, said slot being related to said securing element to prevent disengagement of said spring when in position therein and to permit replacement of said spring through said opening in said housing member upon removal of said securing element from securing position.

6. In a latch structure a pair of housing members, one of said members having an opening therein, a latch guide casing detachably mounted between said housing members, said guide casing being open on one side and one end thereof and having a spring receiving socket formed in the end thereof remote from said open end, said housing member having said opening therein overlying the open side of said casing, a latching member slidably mounted in said casing, said latching member having spring receiving means thereon, a compression coil spring mounted between said socket and spring receiving means, said latch having a slot therein and a securing element extending through openings in said housing members and said slot, said slot being related to said securing element to prevent disengagement of said spring when in position therein and to permit replacement of said spring through said opening in said housing member upon removal of said securing element from securing position, said casing being secured to said housing members by securing elements which do not pass through said slidable latching member.

'7. A latch structure comprising a housing, a latch casing removably associated with said hous ing and means for securing said casing against movement in said housing, said casing having a spring retaining portion and a guideway, a latching member slidable in said guideway, a spring for projecting said latching member mounted in said retaining portion and engaging said latching member, and means for securing said latching member in said guideway for detachment from said casing to permit replacement of said spring without removal of said latch from said casing or said casing from said housing, said guideway and said latching member having engaging portions thereof formed to permit assembly of said parts in only one relative relation.

WILLIAM O. MANLEY. 

